SEE CHAPTER 1 FOR WARNINGS AND DISCLOSURES.

Author's note: The reason Casey was living with Nettie was never explained, so I have taken some liberty with that.

CHAPTER 9

"She's gone," Casey yelled as she raced down the stairs. She and Nettie had arrived at the boarding house only a few minutes before to accompany Sammy to the clinic, where she would be permitted to watch the hanging. Chris had sent Casey upstairs to fetch Sammy and bring her down for breakfast.

Chris turned to watch Casey run into the dining room, where several of the peacekeepers, along with Nettie and Casey were gathered for breakfast. "Whatta mean she's gone," he demanded.

"Jest what I said," Casey replied. "She wasn't in her room. She arranged the pillows and quilt on her bed to make it look like she was sleepin', but she weren't there when I pulled back the covers."

"Damn it," Chris exclaimed in anger as he slapped the table hard enough to rattle the dishes. "I shoulda' known she'd pull something like this." He turned to look at the other men. "When's the last time anyone saw her?"

"I looked in on the girl prior to retiring a mere few hours ago. She was sleeping peacefully," Ezra replied.

"Ya' sure she was in her bed and it weren't just her pillows an' quilts piled up the way Casey described," Chris asked the gambler.

"I'm quite certain, Mr. Larabee. She was reclined on her side, facing the door. I clearly saw her face."

"Anybody see her after that? I looked in on her before I came down this mornin'. She musta' snuck out before then. There was a lump in her bed that looked like she was curled up under the quilt. Since I figured she could use the rest, I didn't disturb her." Chris shook his head in self disgust. "I shoulda' known to look at bit closer."

"You shouldn't place blame on yourself, Chris," Ezra stepped forward and put a hand on the gunman's shoulder. "You had no reason to suspect that the girl would pull something like this."

"Thanks, Ezra, but I should have known. She was a might too calm and acceptin' of the situation last night." Chris' self-directed tirade was cut short when J.D. rushed into the room.

"I think she's armed, too. I noticed this morning when I was getting' dressed that a pair of pants and a shirt were missin' outta my dresser." He shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't think anything of it at the time. I just figured I'd forgotten to pick 'em up from the laundry or something. Now I think maybe Sammy took 'em."

"Seems to be a lot of not thinkin' goin' around this mornin'," Nettie interrupted. She had been sitting at the table listening to the men's conversation. "Wouldn't 'a figured a little slip of a girl'd get somethin' like this over on you gentlemen."

Chris glared at the older woman. He didn't need her to point out the obvious.

"Point that glare somewhere else, Chris Larabee, I ain't intimidated by it." She nodded toward J.D. "Go on with what you were saying?"

"Anyway, I got to thinkin' and went back up to make sure I wasn't imagin' things. My spare gun's missin', along with some bullets. Stands to reason that if she took the clothes, she took the gun, too."

"Hell, that's all we need." Chris shook his head again. How could one girl with a chip on her shoulder and thirst for revenge cause so much trouble? "Well, we ain't got time to go lookin' for her. We've gotta get the hangin' started. Don't want to go makin' it any easier on Bart Slater by delayin' things." He turned to look at Nettie and Casey. "You two head on over to Nathan's clinic. Anybody finds Sammy, she'll be brought over there. Let's get movin."

Ezra smiled when he thought he heard Chris swear under his breath that he was going to kill the girl when she was found. Sammy was about to discover just how seriously Chris Larabee took his responsibility as her legal guardian. And, Ezra mused, just how much Chris already cared about her. Otherwise, the black-clad gunman wouldn't have been so upset at himself over misreading the girl's intentions. Yes, Ezra thought as he left the boarding house on his way to the jail, things were definitely going to be interesting around here for quite some time to come.

* * * * * * * *

Sammy was nervous. After wandering around the town, she decided the best hiding place where she'd have a view of the street and the gallows was behind the false front of Potter's general store. She's been hiding there for the past hour or so, and was anxious to get everything over with. Her plan was to wait for Bart Slater to show up to try and rescue his brother and to shoot him down. In that chaos that followed she'd get her horse from the livery stable and ride out. She had some money stashed away near the gang's hideout. Since there shouldn't be anybody there, she should be free to ride in and get it. Sammy figured she could use it to start a new life somewhere else. There was no reason for her stay here in Four Corners, despite what that old coot of a judge had said.

Sammy was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the activity on the street below or the tall man who stepped up behind her. She was startled when Buck reached over her shoulder and pulled the gun out of her hand.

"You've gotten yourself into a heap 'a trouble, young lady. Stealin' guns and sneakin' off."

Sammy spun around and looked up at him. She was taken aback at the angry expression on his face. "Whatta you doin' here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Buck approached and looked over the edge of the false front. He spotted Chris and Vin escorting Jed Slater out of the jail on the way to the gallows. Turning back to Sammy, he tucked the gun he'd taken from her into his waist band and hauled her to her feet. He gave a sharp, high-pitched whistle to get Chris' attention and pulled Sammy in front of him so that Chris could see he had her. Chris acknowledged Buck's alert with a nod of his head and turned his attention back to the task at hand.

Buck pushed Sammy down so that she was sitting with her back against the false front. "I ain't got time to take you over to the clinic, so you're gonna have ta' stay here with me." He crouched down so that he was face to face with her. "You're gonna sit right there until I tell you ta' move. If any shootin' starts, I want you to lay flat on this roof an' don't move a muscle. You understand me?"

Sammy crossed her arms over her chest and gave Buck a mutinous glare. "Go to Hell."

"Little girl, I ain't never spanked anybody, but yer comin' awful close to bein' the first. Now, I expect you to do what I tell you and to keep a civil tongue in your mouth when I ask you a question. Do you understand me?"

Several seconds of tense silence passed as the gunfighter and the teenage girl glared at each other. Buck was starting to reach for her to carry out his threat when gunfire erupted below. He shoved Sammy over so that she lay flat on the roof and, drawing his gun, took up his position and began firing. He sensed Sammy moving forward and without turning to look back at her ordered her to stay still. When she reached for the gun that he'd stuck into the waist band of his pants, he caught her arm and gave a sharp tug so that she lay on the roof in front of him. He gave her backside a sharp slap and, once again, ordered her to stay still.

The gun battle was over in just a few minutes. Buck stood to look down at the street and the carnage left behind by the fight. Sammy moved to stand beside him. Nobody would ever know whose bullet was responsible, but Jed Slater lay dead at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the gallows. Sammy looked at the half dozen or so other bodies that either lay fallen behind objects the men had used as cover or in the open street. She recognized all of them as men who had ridden with the Slater brothers. Her gasp of surprise when she spotted Bart Slater lying behind an overturned wagon caused Buck's attention to turn back to her.

"What is it?"

Sammy gestured toward the wagon. "That's Bart Slater. He's dead."

"Well, now, is that a fact?" Buck turned to the girl. "Let's get you over to the clinic, so's I can go help Chris."

Sammy could see her chances for escape rapidly deteriorating before her eyes. If Buck got her over the clinic, there wouldn't be another chance to sneak away. She really didn't want to stay in Four Corners. There were too many memories tied to the town – memories, that despite the passage of time, she wasn't yet ready to deal with. Besides, she Chris Larabee really didn't want to be stuck with her. He was acting as her legal guardian only because that old coot of a judge had made him do it. She'd rather be dead than be somebody's obligation.

Sensing her desire to make a break for it, Buck took her by the arm and hauled her to her feet. She tried to jerk away from him. But, like the previous day, he wasn't letting go of her. "Little girl, you even think about runnin' and I might just shoot you." Sammy didn't know Buck well enough to know that he had no intention of shooting her, but the threat was effective.

Once at the clinic, Buck left Sammy in Nettie's care. The older woman took one look at the girl and, seeing the emotional turmoil she was feeling, decided to leave her alone after telling her simply that what she had done had been "just plain stupid." Casey, however, decided Sammy might be in need of a friend and went to sit on the bed beside her. Nettie started to shoo her away, but decided that Sammy might need to talk to someone her own age. Plus, the two girls had the loss of their parents in common. Unlike Sammy's parents, though, Casey's parents had died of a fever when the girl was still quite young.

The two girls sat in silence for several minutes before Sammy. Casey watched curiously as Sammy's fingers seemed to tap out a rhythm on her thighs. She'd heard about Sammy's ability with a piano, and she'd be damned if it didn't look like her new friend was playing an invisible piano.

Casey's curiosity finally got the best of her, and she couldn't keep from blurting out, "whatta ya' playin'?"

Sammy started and looked down at her hands, which immediately stopped moving. She gave an embarrassed shrug of her shoulders. "Just something that's playing in my head. It helps me think."

Casey turned to look at her. "'Bout what?"

"Everything." Sammy hugged herself and stared off into space for a moment. "I can't stay here. Chris doesn't want me. I know how, but that judge made him take me on." She was also starting to worry about what Chris' reaction to her morning's activities was going to be. But that worry wasn't something she could bring herself to voice.

Casey leaned over and put an arm around Sammy's shoulders, offering her what comfort she could. "I don't know Chris as well as I do some of the others, and I guess he can be mighty intimidatin'. But, once you get to know him, you'll find he's a good man. And, ain't nobody can force Chris to do something' he don' wanna do, not even Judge Travis."

Before Sammy could reply, Ezra knocked on the door and entered the clinic. He nodded at Nettie, who returned his greeting with a nod of her own. "I'm here to escort the young lady to the boarding house."

Sammy quickly decided it wasn't worth the energy it would take to argue about it, so she stood. Casey arose as well and pulled Sammy into a quick hug. Taking comfort from the gesture, Sammy whispered in her ear, "thanks, Casey." In response, Casey gave her a quick squeeze and stepped back.

Sammy walked toward the door, which Ezra was holding open for her. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was walking to her own private gallows. However, Nettie stopped her before she reached the door. She pulled Sammy into a hug of her own and whispered in her ear, "you just wait and see. Everything's gonna work out just fine." Releasing Sammy from the hug, Nettie held her at arms length so she could look into the girl's eyes. "If you ever pull another fool stunt like the one you did this morning, it won't just be Chris Larabee you'll have to contend with. You understand me?"

Sammy smiled and nodded in response. She was pulled into Nettie's arms for another quick hug, and with a swat to her backside was sent on her way with Ezra.

Once down on the street, Sammy gave voice to her concerns. There was something about the gambler that compelled her to talk to him. "He's gonna kill me, isn't he?"

Ezra stopped and looked at his young companion. "Who's going to kill you, my dear?"

"Chris." Sammy's gaze studied the dirt being dug up by the toe of her boot.

"Ah, well." Ezra nodded, understanding fully the girl's fears. "He is understandably upset with you at the moment. You have to admit, your actions this morning were extremely foolhardy, not to mention dangerous and illegal. I am quite certain, however, that while he will undoubtedly punish you, death will not be the chosen disciplinary method." He put his arm around Sammy's shoulders and began walking with her back to the boarding house. "You may not believe this, but Mr. Larabee already cares a great deal about you, as do I and the others. None of us want to see you hurt. Whatever form of chastisement Mr. Larabee sees fit to impose upon you, although well deserved, will serve to remind you of that and to think before you take such foolish action in the future."

Sammy nodded. She couldn't help herself, but she liked the wily gambler. She only hoped that he was right about Chris. She didn't know if she could bear it if all she was to her new guardian was a burden.